Property Tax collection in Salt Lake, Kolkata

The Bidhannagar municipality has started sending property tax bills to Salt Lake residents after a gap of months. The tax rate is been calculated based on old valuation of 2005. One of the official said,’’ The new tax bill have been prepared and dispatched and the last date to pay is fixed on December 31’’. The bill will be adjusted for those residents who have already paid their tax. It is believed that a large amount of cash is expected by civic authorities say about 12 crores.

The municipality has actively started collecting tax from residents after a long time for fiscal year of 2010-11, 2011-12 and pending of 2007-2010 but eventually it came to a full stop as one of the resident’s complaints of improper bills. The official said, that the reason for this confusion was many bills was based on the rates of pre-2005, hence there was a rush to pay the bills but as the valuation was based on old rates many residents started complaining that the bill which they have received are not matching the pre-2005 rates and the rates should be much higher than this. The civic authorities then had to take the matter to urban development department and municipal affair minister. The minister has ordered to stop tax collection over the allegations of miscalculations.

Civic official said that till now they have collected a total of Rs. 6.57 crore before it was withheld. A proposal has been broached according to which the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) may soon be entrusted to assess, collect tax from the residents of the township